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Have you read about those football leaks reports in the French press about Messi's contract and salary?
€104m per season guaranteed
Mediapart released the article on it but it's locked behind a paywall. I know the paper and it's well respected. Der Spiegel also helped in providing some of the documents. L'equipe has a report on it as well but it's also in French
Someone translated a few key parts of the Mediapart article:
June 2017, a 400M deal over 4 years. It took the form of two documents (a work contract and an image contract), obtained by Der Spiegel and transmitted to Mediapart and its partners in the EIC investigative media network. Written in Catalan, these contracts, dated 30 June, extend Messi's career in Barcelona until June 2021. They are signed by his father and agent Jorge Horacio, who manages the "Messi business" with an iron hand.
This is the first time in the history of football that a player has received a guaranteed income of more than 100 million euros per season.
Lionel Messi's income may even be higher. Because the player never signed the documents issued on the day of his marriage. Messi Sr. went on to extend the negotiations, putting Barcelona supporters in agony. The final contracts, which are not included in the Football Leaks, were only signed on November 25, after five months of fighting. They are therefore at least as advantageous as those of 30 June.
The preliminary contract figures are already staggering. Messi has a fixed income of 71,053,846 euros (including 85% salary and 15% image rights). Added to this is a signing bonus of €63.5 million. There is also a "loyalty bonus" of €70 million if he does not leave the club before the end of the contract. This represents a total guaranteed minimum of €104 441 346 per season. That is 286,140 euros per day, or 11,922 euros per hour.
A calculation carried out in June 2017 by FC Barcelona shows that Messi's new salary alone accounted for 40% of the team's total payroll (possibly more so today following Neymar's departure). So much so that leaders fear tension in the locker room." The player must realise how disproportionate his salary is to the rest of the team,"wrote a Catalan club manager to Messi's father in a confidential email from Football Leaks during the negotiations
